professional fitting

[aboywithgirls]

I know that there are a number of us out there including myself that have been professionally fitted for our bras. So this is sort of a poll to chime in on whether it was a positive experience or not for you. I have always had positive experiences when being fitted but I know there are still more men that are hesitant in being fitted. I hope if they hear other good experiences they will be able to get a proper fitting bra and experience the difference.

[salger]

Exactly what does a fitting entail?  How is it different from just grabbing a tape measure and plugging the numbers in?  What common retail stores do fittings (macys?  nordstroms?  lane bryant?  soma?) and what has been peoples experience with them vs a "boutique" shop?  I've considered getting a fitting - but its not clear that it'd be worth the stress and embarrassment.  I've measured at 44D and found comfortable things that fit.

[hammer]

I went years doing my own fitting with the help of my wife as the last poster said, grab a tap and measure!

As many of you know I went for my first fitting at "Allure"  in St. Paul, my wife came with me as well. The experience was very pleasant, I was treated with the great respect and told that they fit many men with the same problem.

My wife had taken one of our daughters years earlier to Macy's at the Mall of America, and she said the it wasn't near as good as my fitting experience.

I bought one bra that day, wore it for a week, then I called and ordered two more in a natural color, as they only had black on hand the day I bought it.

I have been wearing bras off and on since the late 90's and have never had one fit so good! I'm now up to a size 46H, but depending on the type/manufacture it varies from 46F-H cup.

It was well worth the time and effort. There was no disrespect, or embarrassment! I also sent an email to the main office thanking then for the treatment and service that I received!

I will go back if I desire to try a different type or style bra, or need a new fitting and I highly recommend them


Bob

[Paa_Paw]

I have not been for a fitting myself as my breasts are not large enough or needful of support.

What I do know is that above a D cup, there is almost no standardization. What one company calls an F another company calls an H. A good fitter will know their inventory and be able to get a good fit regardless. Another element that a good fitter can address is the difference in a male chest compared to a female chest. From top to bottom, there is a difference in the amount of taper. The breasts of a man are further apart that those of a woman. A good fitter will know which styles best accommodate those differences.

My wife is a very large breasted woman and she needs to be professionally fitted. This is common in both of our families.

[hammer]

Very good points Paa_Paw, and another big difference I found with the fitting was the length in the shoulder straps! It is hard to find long enough shoulder straps that work with me and when I was doing "self" fittings we returned more bras then we ever thought we would need to.

Once my fitter got an idea what she needed for me in my size she brought in a bunch of different type/styles underwire/none wire and we found what worked and fit best.

I now can put a bra on when I get up in the morning and forget about it until I go to bed! I'm now so much more comfortable then I've been in years!

[aboywithgirls]

All of the reply are awesome. I've been wearing a bra since I was 16. My first one was a 34B. It was a hand me down. My mother never had a professional fitting so I figured I didn't need to either. You know, if the bra is to small, get a bigger size. My wife was the one who encouraged me to get my first fitting.  I went from a 42C to a 38DD in one afternoon and I am now still very comfortable wearing a 38E I bumped up a cup size in 6 months. So it's very important to have a fitting every 6 months to a year. The service is available for us to use. You won't regret it.

[RadG]

I am curious about having a professional fitting, but I am also on a limited budget. I assume most places charge for a fitting so what would be the best option for me? I am not as big as some of you all but the other day I went for a walk and my shirt started to rub my nipple raw. I am not sure if it is related to my recently losing 60 pounds (I still have more to lose) or what but this was the first time that it happened. I have in the past toyed with the idea of wearing a bra due to having gynecomastia, one doctor a couple of years ago had me get a mammogram, so I had some one size bandeau bras that when I went for a walk today helped.

[hammer]

The fittings are no charge, but the places that provide them sell very expensive bras! The bras that I found that fit best and were the most comfortable were $59.00. I'm on SSD but my wife is an accountant and the house is paid off, no bills, empty nest so cost isn't a problem with us. I ended up buying three for now. The one thing to think about, when it comes to bras I think that they fall into that, "you get what you pay for" categories. I've had cheap ones and I found a world of difference in these.

You may go for the fitting and just tell them you need to think about it for awhile, but the fact is my measurements are 46H but depending on the manufacture of the bra, one may be 46G, one 46F and another 46H or even 48F, so you could end up waisting a lot of your time.

I've had tenderness off and on and even lactation but I've never been raw at my nipples.

[RadG]

Hammer thanks for your answer. In regards to my issue yesterday it wasn't raw per say but my t-shirt seriously rubbed it the wrong way when I was on my walk, to where I ended up cutting my walk shorter than I had planned, it may have been sensitivity and the shirt constantly rubbing against it rather than being raw.

[Paa_Paw]

Many years ago when I was an Air Force Medic, One poor guy hurt so bad he came into the clinic for help. His nipples were not merely raw, but bleeding. I had never seen such a thing before but I managed somehow to convey the idea that his problem was common and I had a ready solution. I went into the OB clinic and grabbed a couple of packages of nursing pads. They were large enough to totally cover the areola. I stuck them on with a very mild paper surgical adhesive tape then gave him the extra pads and a supply of the tape.

He was back for more every couple of months and I never told him what they actually were. That may have been a mistake, but back in those days we did not talk of gynecomastia.

Secrecy is really a terrible thing.

[hammer]

As a Ham Radio operator I've worked many  marathons as health/safety observer and I've seen many men and women with blood streaks running down from their nipples. Ironically, most of them, male and female have been a mix of both flat chested as well as very small amount of breast. I've read here on the forum a few times about guys wanting to be able to run without having their nipples bleed, but from what I've seen in the years of doing the marathons, size does not matter.

[Bman41]

It took me a lot of nerve to go get fitted.  I finally did.  I did get the nerve up to try on a bra at Soma in a fitting room, I asked and they had no issues with it.  Finally I had a bra I really really liked that the straps fall easily off my shoulders and chatted with Soma online about it and they recommended I go in to have it looked at by a fitter.  I did.  I called ahead and talked with the fitter (Valerie at Soma in Barrington) and she had no problems with doing it.  It was around 830 and the store closed at 9, there wasn't more than 1 other woman in the store shopping and she didn't seem to care.  Valerie kept the door open slightly (so no questions could arise of something going on), very professional.  The cause in my case is my shoulders are more rounded and the straps fall easy.  So the Embraceable series isn't a good fit for me, but the Sensuous Sides and Stunning Support are a good fit.  The straps are placed somewhat different in the back than the Embraceable series.  My wife has no problems with the Embraceable wirefree bras she likes. 

I would never go in during a busy time.  But I was in a Soma trying on a bra that they put a woman in the room next to me and no one seemed to have any problems with it.  I was a nervous wreck, but I survived!  Soma is a great place and does well with gyne sufferers.

[hammer]

When I had mine done at Allure the fitter actually help me put the bras on with Debbie in the room with us. She would recommend what bras I should try then bring them in and help with them.

She said that they get men in all the time with gyne for fittings and it isn't a problem at all doing fittings anytime. She made me feel very welcome. I've ordered two extra bras since my fitting and sent a letter of thanks to her boss for the great service and respect that she gave me.

When I ordered the two new bras she took the order and thanked me for the letter that I had sent.

[aboywithgirls]

It took me a lot of nerve to go get fitted.  I finally did.  I did get the nerve up to try on a bra at Soma in a fitting room, I asked and they had no issues with it.  Finally I had a bra I really really liked that the straps fall easily off my shoulders and chatted with Soma online about it and they recommended I go in to have it looked at by a fitter.  I did.  I called ahead and talked with the fitter (Valerie at Soma in Barrington) and she had no problems with doing it.  It was around 830 and the store closed at 9, there wasn't more than 1 other woman in the store shopping and she didn't seem to care.  Valerie kept the door open slightly (so no questions could arise of something going on), very professional.  The cause in my case is my shoulders are more rounded and the straps fall easy.  So the Embraceable series isn't a good fit for me, but the Sensuous Sides and Stunning Support are a good fit.  The straps are placed somewhat different in the back than the Embraceable series.  My wife has no problems with the Embraceable wirefree bras she likes.  

I would never go in during a busy time.  But I was in a Soma trying on a bra that they put a woman in the room next to me and no one seemed to have any problems with it.  I was a nervous wreck, but I survived!  Soma is a great place and does well with gyne sufferers.

It was just a couple weeks ago, I went to a Macys in NH. I was there on a Friday afternoon and it was pretty busy due a lingerie sale which is what brought me there as well. I had planned to just purchase a couple of new bras and take them home to try on for size. I wear a 38E (DDD)/F so my breasts are obvious.  The SA (and other shoppers) knew I was shopping for myself.  She had helped me pick out a few bras and then asked me if I would like to try them on and help with the fit. I told her I would love too. The fitting room had several stalls and the SA asked the woman which were being fitted if they minded if they minded if I was fitted at the same time. None of them objected. I even heard one say "I saw him, he needs a bra just as much as the rest of us". We even had a great conversation about the bras we were trying on.

I think that the world is beginning to accept men with breasts in bras.

I have attached pictures of the bras I was fitted for.